At the Writing Studio, near the intersection of La Brea and Beverly Blvd., in Hollywood, CA

Trauma of war and violence is imprinted in the heart. Depression is a result of unfulfilled longing and a lack of belonging; it causes a disconnection from life and a loss of meaning and hope. Addiction is a survival mechanism.

In moments of great suffering, a part of our soul leaves the body. Along with it, our energy and love of life escape as well. It is possible, in recalling those moments in a safe and sacred environment, to put them into words, thus reawaken the fullness of our being. In indigenous cultures it is called soul retrieval and is done by a shaman, a medicine man. In my method, it is done by turning trauma into stories.

Family history, personal and collective trauma, and generational pain become the wood for the fire of transformation and art.

Each 3-hour session includes discussion about the experience of trauma, depression and addiction, and writing assignments that demonstrate the healing power of creative writing.

“My work with Elana did not just help me write my story, before I could write my story I had to remember it, I had to bring it together, to make sense of it, and to heal it through writing. This is what Elana Golden helped me do. In her warm apartment every Monday, I sat there and left the world behind as she led me into a meditation something I never thought I could do, and then she took me places inside myself I never knew existed, all of those places the dark ones, the beautiful ones, came together in the end of our sessions to create something beautiful. Elana Golden changed my life.” Vivien Sansour, writer, producer, photographer

For information and registration please call Elana at 323. 936. 2601

Elana Golden holds a BA in film from New York University and an MA in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. For nearly twenty years she has been guiding hundreds of writing students, clients, teachers and psychologists in producing great writing as well as in the process of recovery from PTSD, depression and addiction. Elana practices meditation and mindfulness for 31 years, and is educated and experienced in the fields of spirituality, dream and shamanic work, and in the development of the human potential.